Method of and machine for stuffing upholstery pads



Dec. 31, 1935. w. c. BURGESS METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR STUFFING UPHOLSTERY PADS Filed Dec. '5, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 .Eventor War/26m G. .BLLI" Dec. 31, 1935. w. c. BURGESS 2,026,212

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR STUFFING UPHOLSTERY PADS Filed Dec. 5, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 4W F ZZZU/ Z77)f07:

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Dec. 31, 1935. w. c. BURGESS METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR STUFFING UPHOLSTERY PADS Filed Dec. 5, 1932 u 5 5 5 NM MW a m Q KW e mm. l m w w 20 4 w .11 Km \QN m HF-H Dec. 31, 1935. w. c. BURGESS METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR STUFFING UPHOLSTERY PADS Filed Dec. 5, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 fizz/auto 7 Wnen, a.

I Patented Dec. 31, 1935 METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR STUFFING UPHOLSTERY PADS Warren G. Burgess, La Grange, Ill., assignor to Burton-Dixie Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application December 5, 1932, Serial No. 645,743

10 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of upholstery manufacture, and has reference more particularly to methods of and machines for stufiing upholstery pads with fibrous material. The machine of this application has been designed more especially for stuffing upholstery pads of a type disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,992,603, granted to my assignee Burton-Dixie Corporation, February 26, 1935, the said pad being in the nature of a foundation pad designed to be placed between an assembly of helical springs and a finish upholstery to hide the feel of the springs. The pad of the aforesaid application comprises a slip, and .a stuffing therefor consisting of a resilient body made up of an intertwined mass of long sisal fiber formed into folds or plaits that are continuous and closely packed together and disposed generally crosswise of the pad. However, the machine herein disclosed is capable of producing pads other than such foundation pads, as well as pads having a stuffing of jute, hemp, hair or any fibrous stock other than long fiber sisal,

although where using short fiber stock the successive transverse folds or plaits are not continuous.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient machine of the character and for the purpose stated, capable of effecting the uniform and even stufiing of the pads in a rapid manner and with a minimum loss of power due to friction, and well adapted to the carrying out of a novel method of operation, under which irregularities in the stuffing are avoided, the stuffing is rendered substantially uniform in thickness and density throughout the pad, the thickness and density may be varied as desired, and the stuffing is prevented from buckling during transfer of the stuffed pad from the stufiing machine to the stitching or tacking machine.-

Still other objects and attendant advantages of the invention will be apparent to persons familiar with the art from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which I have illustrated one simple and practical form of apparatus which in practice has proved to successfully effectuate the stated purposes of the invention, wherein- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse. section in the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section in the plane indicated by the line 3-'-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view, enlarged, on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the rear portion of the gang feeder, looking downwardly on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

' Fig. 6 is a somewhat enlarged fragmentary side elevation of. the cable and mandrel tube or former shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged cross sectional view, on the line 'il of Fig. 1. I

Fig. 8 is an enlarged longitudinal section, taken on the line 88 of Fig. '7.

Fig. 9 is a further enlarged vertical longitudinal section through a portion of the stuffed pad as it emerges from the former, showing the form taken by the stuffing and the anti-buckling device overlying the stuffing.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged inner side elevation of a vertically adjustable support for the shafts of the fiber feeding conveyor.

Fig. 11 is a vertical section on the line lI--ll of Fig. 10.

Referring to the drawings, on a skeleton supporting frame IE] is mounted a hopper, designated as an entirety by I I, into the upper rear portion of which is deposited the fibrous stock forming the stufiing of the pad. Fig. 3 shows a charge of this stock in the rear portion of the hopper. The fibrous stock is continuously picked up from the body of the stock in the hopper by an elevating conveyor clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and comprising a pair of laterally spaced belts l2 trained over upper and lower pulleys I3 and i4 and connected by closely spaced transverse slats l5 equipped with rows of pointed teeth l6 that are forwardly inclined relatively to the direction of travel. The slats on the ascending side of the conveyor hook into and carry up a sheet of the intertwined fibers, and the surplus is scraped off and thrown back into the hopper by a reciprocating comb I! mounted on the free ends of a pair of arms [8 that in turn are fast on a rock shaft I9 journaled across the top of the side walls of the hopper.

As shown in Fig. 3, the elevating conveyor is slightly inclined in an upward and forward direction, and the fibrous material carried up by the ascending limb of the conveyor is carried over the upper end of the latter and drops in a substantially continuous stream off the hooks on the descending limb, falling onto the top limb of a negative tooth feeding conveyor 20. This feeding conveyor is structurally identical with the elevating conveyor except that its teeth 20' are rearwardly inclined relatively to the direction of travel. Said feeding conveyor occupies the lower front portion of the hopper, its function being to receive the fibrous stock and carry it forward and lay it in a substantially continuous strand or sheet onto a gang of toothed plunger-type feeders which reciprocate through the delivery throat 2| of the hopper, for which purpose the feeding conveyor closely overlies said feeder. The pulleys 22 and 23 on which the feeding conveyor is mounted are fast on transverse shafts 24 and 25 respectively, which shafts, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11, are vertically adjustable, being journaled in bearing blocks 26 and 21 in turn mounted on an angle bar support 28, which latter in turn is adjustably mounted on a similar angle bar support 29 by means of clamp bolts 30 passed through the vertical limb of the support 29 and through vertical slots 3! in the vertical limbs of the support 28. By this means the feeding conveyor 2|] can be bodily raised or lowered to adjust the same to plunger feeders with high or low teeth, the density of the layer of stock deposited on the plunger feeders depending on the relative speeds of the elevating and feeding conveyors.

As shown in Fig. 10, the bearing block 26 and an intermediate spacing block 32 on which it is supported, are adjustable lengthwise of the sta tionary support 28 by means of an adjusting screw 33, the purpose of which is simply to effect a proper tension on the conveyor 20.

In front of the hopper l l and its supporting frame Ill are mounted a pair of parallel upright side frame members 34 supporting on their upper ends rails 35, on which rails is mounted, by grooved wheels or rollers 36, a flat table top 31 (see Fig. 7). Above this table 31 and narrowly spaced therefrom is a hollow former or mandrel, preferably comprising a bottom plate 38 formed with low upstanding side walls 39, and a top plate 40 formed with similar depending side walls 4| that, as clearly shown in Fig. '7, overlap the side walls 39 when the cover is in normal working position. As shown in Figs. 8 and '7, the bottom member of this former is supported on a plurality of longitudinally extending angle bar ribs 62 that in turn are rigidly attached at their rear ends to braces 43 attached at their lower ends to the supporting frame In and at their upper ends to a transversechannel beam 44 (Fig. 1) that also underlies the rear portion of the bottom member of the former. As best shown in Fig. 8, the forward end portions of the bottom and top walls of the former are slightly tapered toward each other, the purpose being to effect a slight narrowing or throttling of the discharge end of the former to secure a close packing or folding of the fibrous material at this point as it emerges into the slip or cover member of the pad. The inner end of this former, of course, registers with the discharge throat of the hopper.

slidably mounted on the bottom wall of the former is a gang feeder of the toothed plunger type, commonly employed in machines of this character, and comprising, in the instance shown, a plurality of wooden strips 45 (Figs. 5 and '7) disposed side by side, connected at their rear ends by a cross head. 46 and at their front ends by a transverse strip 4'! (Fig. 8) On each strip 45 is mounted a metal strip 48 having on its longitudinal edges upstanding forwardly directed teeth 49; and to the under side of the cover member 40 of the former are mounted stationary metal strips having on their longitudinal edges depending forwardly directed teeth 5! that lie between and overlap the teeth 49 of the feeder. The rear cross head 46 is slidably mounted at its ends on slideways 52 (Figs. 3 and '5) and the cross head is reciprocated on said slideways by a pitman 53 connected to a crank disc 54 fast on a shaft 55 that is journaled on the frame H].

In order to regulate the width of the stream of stock falling from the elevating conveyor onto the feeding conveyor according to the width of the pad, I provide on the inner sides of the side walls of the hopper It a pair of hinged depending guide plates 55 that, as shown in Fig. 3, overhang the feeding conveyor 25 and form between them a throat through which the material falls onto the feeding conveyor. The spread of these guide plates 55 is determined and fixed by simple adjusting devices shown in Fig. 2, and in detail in Fig. 4, and each comprising a rod 5'! extending through a hole 58 in the side wall of the hopper and formed with a bent end 59 that lies behind the plate 56. By pushing these rods 51 inwardly, the plates 58 are moved toward each other so as to narrow the descending stream of stock; and, by retracting the rods 5'1, the plates 56 move apart by gravity. The plates are maintained in any adjusted position by a clamp bolt 60 slidably mounted in a sleeve Bl fast on a frame element of the hopper, the bolt and its sleeve being equipped with registering holes through which the rod 57 extends, and the bolts 60 having a nut 62, by tightening which the rod is gripped and clamped in an obvious manner. Of course, any other suitable or convenient means for adjusting the plates 55 and maintaining them in adjusted position may be employed.

When the cover slip of the pad is to be filled, it is first drawn onto and over the outer end portion of the former, as shown in Fig. 1, and

at its open end it is connected to the rear end of the table 37 as by a pair of cords 63 and clips 64, so that, as the slip is filled and gradually pushed off the former, it draws the table along with it. t is desirable that the resistance of the table 31 to this movement be rendered as uniform as possible in order to obtain a uniform packing of the pad in point of density; and it is also desirable that the resistance of the table to this movement be capable of variation, according to whether it is desired to effect a dense or a compa atively light packing of the pad. For these purposes, the table is mounted on the rollers as described; and, furthermore, the table is subjected to the influence of opposing weights 7 tending to draw the table in opposite directions, the greater weight, of course, tending to draw the table in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the pad as the latter is being filled. Accordingly, to the forward end of the tab'e is connected a cord as that is led over guide pulleys 56, G8, 69 and I5 and has attached to the end thereof depending from pulley 79 a rod H adapted to have mounted thereon a stack of metal disc weights 12. And attached to the rear end of the table 3 is a similar cord 73 led over guide pulleys l5, l5 and ll, the lower end of said cord being attached to a rod l3 carrying a plurality of disc weights 19. The individual Weights 12 and 19 are each of slight weight, so that by variously loading the weight-supporting rods 1| and 18, any desirable differential in the resultantpull of the weights on the table may be obtained.

Journaled in and across the upper forward portion of the hopper H is a shaft 85, on which is mounted a rotary beater 8| (Fig. 3) lying opposite and parallel to the upper portion of the descending limb of the elevating conveyor, the purpose of this beater being to knock the fibrous Lil material off the teeth of the elevating conveyor and cause it to drop by gravity onto the upper limb'of the feeding conveyor. The front wall of the hopper opposite the adjustable guide plates 55, is provided with an outwardly opening door II, by which access may be readily had for inspection and adjustment.

The means for operating the various movable parts of the machine, other than the table 31, may comprise the following. Mounted in the lower portion of the frame M is an electric motor 82 connected by a pulley and belt drive 83 to a shaft 84 mounted on the rear of the frame l0. Shaft 84 is connected by a pulley and belt drive 85 to shaft 55, on one end of whichis the crank disc 58 which, through pitman 53, operates the plunger feeder, as before described. The outer end of shaft 55 is connected by a pulley and belt drive 86 to the upper shaft 81 of the elevating conveyor, operating the latter in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3. Another pulley and belt drive 88 from shaft 55 to a shaft 89 operates the oscillating comb through a pitman 90 and an arm 9| fast on the projecting end of the comb shaft I9. By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the upper end of the pitman 96 has an adjustable connection to the arm 9|, lengthwise of the latter, by which the extent of oscillation of the comb may be varied. By reference to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the shaft 24 of the feeding conveyor 29 is driven from the upper shaft 8'! of the elevating conveyor by a chain and sprocket drive 92. The beater 8| is driven in the proper direction from one end of shaft 24 by a pulley 93 on the latter, a pulley 94 on the beater shaft, and a crossed belt 95.

Briefly describing the operation of the machine, and assuming that a supply of the fibrous packing material is maintained in the hopper II, which may be done by hand or by a suitable supply conveyor (not shown), a pad slip A, open at one end, is drawn over the forward end of the former for its full length, and the sides of the open end of the slip are attached to the rear end of the table 3'! by the cords 63 and clips 64, as shown in Fig. l. The machine is then started in operation, and the elevating conveyor continuously picks up the stock from the rear portion of the hopper and discharges it in a continuously falling stream or thin sheet onto the upper limb of the feeding conveyor 20, the comb acting to throw back any surplus or excess so as to make the feed substantially uniform, and the beater 8| operating to strip the stock from the teeth on the descending limb. of the elevating conveyor and throw it directly downwardly. As before mentioned, the teeth 26' on the feeding conveyor 20 preferably have a rearward inclination, which prevents the material thereon from being carried back to a point beneath the elevating conveyor; and to facilitate andinsure the forward feed of the material, the top limb of the feeding conveyor 20 is pitched downwardly and forwardly, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, so that the feed is assisted by gravity. As the material is conveyed by the negative tooth conveyor in a substantially uniform and continuous web or sheet onto the reciprocating toothed feeder, it is advanced by the latter in a practically continuous or unbroken sheet into and through the former, its

backward travel during the rearward movements of the feeder being prevented by the stationary teeth on the top wall of the former, and also by the teeth on the bottom limb of the negative tooth conveyor. In this way the material is advanced, step by step, through the former until its forward end is forced through the contracted forward end of the former, being slightly compressed thereby, into the rear closed end of the slip A. Under the pressure of the material against the closed end of the slip, the latter then gradually slides off the former, onto the table 37, this movement being opposed by the superior counter weight 19 acting through the cord 13. The material, when of long fiber stock, is thus placed in the cover slip in a succession of closefy packed and connected plaits or folds B, Fig. 9, lying generally crosswise of the pad, as fully disclosed in my copending application hereinabove identified. I have found in practice that, due to the springy character of the stock, when employing long fiber sisal or the like, the pad will buckle upwardly as it passes off the former, unless means be provided to oppose this buckling tendency; and I have discovered a very simple and efficient means for this purpose, consisting of a plate or sheet, which may be of heavy cardboard or the like, identified by C, which is entered beneath the top Wall of the slip, between the latter and the top wall of the former, when the empty slip is first applied to the former. As the slip, undergoing the packing operation, is pushed off the former, this cardboard sheet or plate passes off with it, and, being substantially the full width of the slip and fairly heavy, it effectively prevents the upward buckling or bowing of the packing, so that the loaded slip may later be bodily transferred to a stitching or tacking machine without danger of the packing becoming deformed or scrambled in the operation. The slip and the table continue to move forwardly, step by step, until the slip is filled, whereupon it is released from the clips 64 and removed to the tacking or stitching machine.

The density of the packing canbe very nicely regulated by regulating the pull on the table 31 that opposes the forward travel of the slip and the table, this being accomplished in an obvious manner by manipulation of the weights l2 andlB.

For instance, if a light packing is desired, the differential of the weights l2 and i9 is reduced. On the other hand, if a heavier or denser packing is desired, the weight differential is increased. The mounting of the table on the roller supports practically eliminates the friction of the table as a factor affecting the density of the packing, and, as stated, the application of an adjustable weightactuated pull at each of the opposite ends of the table enables the resistance of the table to be very finely graduated.

While I have herein shown and described one specific form of the invention which, in practice, has been found to satisfactorily effectuate the stated purposes and objects, I do not limit the invention to the details of structure and arrangement shown, but reserve all such variations, modifications and mechanical equivalents as fall within the spirit and purview of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a pad-stuffing machine, the combination of a hopper having a delivery throat, a hollow former registering with and extending forwardly of said throat, an elevating conveyor in said hopper, a feeder reciprocable through said throat and former, and a toothed feeding conveyor closely overlying said feeder onto which feeding conveyor the stuffing material is dropped from said elevating conveyor and by which it is laid in a substantially continuous sheet on said reciprocable feeder behind said throat.

2. In a pad-stuffing machine, the combination of a hopper having a delivery throat, a hollow former registering with and extending forwardly of said throat, an upwardly and forwardly inclined elevating conveyor in said hopper, a plunger-type feeder reciprocable through said throat and former, and a toothed feeding conveyor located in the lower forward portion of said hopper in advance of the lower portion of said elevating conveyor and closely overlying said feeder onto which feeding conveyor the stuffing material is dropped from said elevating conveyor and by which it is laid in a substantially continuous sheet on said reciprocable feeder behind said throat.

3. In a pad-stufiing machine, the combination of a hopper having a delivery throat, a hollow former registering with and extending forwardly of said throat, an upwardly and forwardly inclined elevating conveyor in said hopper, a feeder reciprocable through said throat and former, a toothed feeding conveyor located in the lower forward portion of said hopper in advance of the lower portion of said elevating conveyor and closely overlying said feeder onto which feeding conveyor the stuffing material is dropped from said elevating conveyor and by which it is laid in a substantially continuous sheet on said reciprocable feeder behind said throat, and a pair of downwardly convergent guide plates on opposite sides respectively of said hopper serving to determine the width of the falling stream of material.

4. In a pad-stufiing machine, the combination of a hopper having a delivery throat, a hollow former registering with and extending forwardly of said throat, an upwardly and forwardly inclined elevating conveyor in said hopper, a feeder reciprocable through said throat and former, a toothed feeding conveyor located in the lower forward portion of said hopper in advance of the lower portion of said elevating conveyor and closely overlying said feeder onto which feeding conveyor the material is dropped from said elevating conveyor and by which it is laid in a substantially continuous sheet on said reciprocable feeder behind said throat, a pair of guide plates hinged at their upper ends on opposite sides respectively of said hopper, and means for adjusting said guide plates toward and from each other whereby to vary the width and location of the falling stream of material.

5. In a pad-stuffing machine, the combination of a hopper having a delivery throat, a hollow former registering with and extending forwardly of said throat, an elevating conveyor in said hopper, a feeder reciprocable through said throat and former, and a feeding conveyor located in the lower forward portion of said hopper in front of said elevating conveyor onto which the material is dropped from said elevating conveyor and by which it is delivered to said reciprocable feeder behind said throat, said feeding conveyor being equipped with teeth rearwardly inclined relatively to its direction of travel.

6. In a pad-stoning machine, the combination of a hopper having a delivery throat, a hollow former registering with and extending forwardly of said throat, an elevating conveyor in said hopper, a feeder reciprocable through said throat and former, and a feeding conveyor located in the lower forward portion of said hopper in front of said elevating conveyor onto which the material is dropped from said elevating conveyor and by which it is delivered to said reciprocable feeder behind said throat, said feeding conveyor being equipped with teeth rearwardly inclined relatively to its direction of travel, and the upper limb of said feeding conveyor being inclined downwardly and forwardly toward said throat.

'7. In a pad-stuinng machine, the combination with a stationary hollow former adapted to support a pad slip drawn thereover, and means for forcing padding material therethrough and into said slip, of a movable table beneath said former onto which the filled portion of said slip, as it is discharged from the former, comes to rest, means for attaching the open end of said slip to said table, and automatically reacting yieldable means opposing the forward travel of said table.

3. In a pad-stuffing machine, the combination with a stationary hollow former adapted to support a pad slip drawn thereover, and means for forcing padding material therethrough and into said slip, of a movable table beneath said former onto which the filled portion of said slip, as it is discharged from the former, comes to rest, means for attaching the open end of said slip to said table, and a weight attached to said table and opposing forward travel thereof.

9. In a pad-stuffing machine, the combination with a stationary hollow former adapted to support a pad slip drawn thereover, and means for forcing padding material therethrough and into said slip, of a trackway, a roller-supported table mounted on said trackway beneath said former onto which the filled portion of said slip, as it is discharged from the former, comes to rest, means for attaching the open end of said slip to said table, and differential weights acting on opposite ends of said table.

10. In a pad-stuffing machine, the combination with a stationary hollow former adapted to support a pad slip drawn thereover, and means for forcing padding material therethrough and into said slip, of a trackway, a roller-supported table mounted on said trackway beneath said former onto which the filled portion of said slip, as it is discharged from the former, comes to rest, means for attaching the open end of said slip to said table, cords attached to said table, variable differential weights suspended by said cords, and cord guiding and suspending means so disposed as to cause said weights to act in opposition to each other.

WARREN C. BURGESS. 

